First Time Parents, All Over Again
by idealskeptic
Summary: One-shot. Post-Breaking Dawn. It's pretty clear that Charlie Swan and Sue Clearwater are dating when the saga ends. They're not that old, though, even if their kids are pretty much grown. Things happen and Sue gets pregnant. This is what happens on the day Charlie and Sue become first time parents, all over again.


**I just play in Stephenie Meyer's lovely world. I don't own a thing in it. Other than the books and movies I can't help but buy… Not this though, not this.**

**Just a note: **Way back in February or so, I told **TheUnderStudy **that I'd write a fic for her birthday. She requested Charlie Swan and Sue Clearwater as the pairing. This is what came of that request. She said I could share it with you so I do hope you like it!

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**First Time Parents, All Over Again**

Charlie Swan's hands shook as he tapped out a text message on the smartphone his daughter and son-in-law had given him for his birthday.

_Sue's in labor. The nurse says it shouldn't be too long. Leah and Seth aren't answering their phones. If Seth's at the Cullens', can you tell him and tell him to tell Leah?_

It seemed like a calm, collected message. Just what he wanted to tell Bella. All the things he most certainly wasn't just then.

"As soon as we get the printer unjammed, I'll have the papers for you to sign, Chief," the nurse said, startling him so badly that the phone fell right out of his hands. She bent and picked it up. "You okay, Chief?"

Charlie swallowed hard and took the phone when she handed it to him. "Yep, fine," he lied badly.

"It's okay to be keyed up, Chief," she assured him with a pat on the back. "Your first baby is what, twenty now? It's like you're a first time daddy all over again."

He really didn't need to be reminded of that, he was nervous enough already, and he was on the verge of telling her so when his phone chimed.

_Take a deep breath, Dad. It'll be okay. We're on our way. Seth was here, he's going to get Leah and they'll be there too._

Charlie was glad the nurse had walked away because Bella's words said more than they looked like they said and they made his head spin too. He knew now that, in a nutshell, two vampires and probably a half-vampire were coming to the hospital and that they'd soon be joined by two people who could turn into werewolves. He'd been happy, relieved, and touched that Sue and Bella had sat him down and told him everything. Sometimes, though, he secretly wished they'd left him in the dark. Then he remembered that he'd get to know Bella and Nessie longer and that Sue said she wouldn't be able to be with him if she knew what he didn't and he was glad again.

All in all, Charlie Swan was a very confused, frazzled man.

It wasn't made much better when Sue presented him with the little white plastic stick that stated in no uncertain terms that she was, in fact, PREGNANT.

They'd gone to Dr. Cullen, the vampire surgeon, right away and asked if there was any chance that this baby, their baby, could be a shapeshifter. Naturally, he hadn't been any help. He said he doubted it; because although Sue carried the Black and the Uley genes, Charlie didn't carry any and the male carrier was most important.

Charlie had breathed a very loud sigh of relief. A vampire for a daughter and werewolves for step-kids, it wasn't official but that's how he thought of them, was plenty for him.

"Chief?" the nurse said, breaking into his thoughts again. "Just sign here."

He scribbled his name on the line she pointed to and handed the pen back. "Anything else?"

"No, that's it. You go get ready to be a father with Sue. Oh!" she caught his elbow just as he turned to go into the room. "There is one more thing; Dr. Snow has bronchitis so she's only seeing patients who really want her. If you're worried about the illness, Dr. Cullen will fill in."

Charlie knew a few things. One, that Sue didn't like Dr. Snow that much but put up with her because she was the gynecologist in Forks. Two, that Sue had stopped working at the hospital when Dr. Cullen started. Three, that Sue didn't seem to be so against Dr. Cullen since her kids started spending so much time at his house. And four, that he didn't have any idea what to say to the nurse. "Did you ask Sue?"

"No, I thought you could if you didn't want to decide."

He tried not to scowl. "I'll go ask her," he said instead, turning and heading into the room that immediately made his palms get sweaty and his heart start beating even faster.

"You're going to faint, aren't you?" Sue said in greeting, a smile playing at her lips.

He breathed deeply through his nose, vaguely remembering something from his many rounds of first aid training. "Cops don't faint." He took the hand she held out to him and tried to be calm for her. "The nurse says Dr. Snow has bronchitis so she'll deliver the baby with a mask on at all times or Carlisle can do it. It's apparently up to us."

She tugged him closer and whispered her answer in his ear. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather have Carlisle do it anyway. You know why, right?"

He nodded and straightened up. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about his daughter's husband's vampire father being down in that area of his girlfriend, but he didn't have any idea what he could do about it. "Dr. Cullen can do it?" he asked the nurse.

"I'll let him and Dr. Snow know," she said with a broad smile before she left.

Alone again, Charlie turned back to Sue. "The kids are on the way. Seth was at the Cullens' so he's getting Leah. You okay?"

"I suppose this is easy compared to other stuff lately," she said. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"It's going to be different this time, Charlie," she said solemnly. "I'm not going to take this baby away from you like Renee did with Bella. Not ever. We're a family and we always will be. Together."

He squirmed a little under her gaze, a little embarrassed that his worry had been so obvious to her. He was supposed to be taking care of her and here she was worrying about him. "I know, I know," he murmured. "I love you, Sue."

They were both a little startled by his pronouncement, and laughed together before she repeated his words.

A knock on the door broke the spell and Charlie turned to see Carlisle. "I can come back," the vampire doctor offered, looking uneasy about having interrupted them.

"No, you better check me," Sue said, smiling in spite of her nerves.

Charlie stepped back and let the doctor do what he needed to do. He breathed a sigh that was a cross between one of relief and one of impatience when Carlisle announced that it would be a few hours yet and that they should try and relax while they could.

Sue told him she didn't want or need any medication yet, but Charlie was pretty sure that he did. Carlisle laughed when he said so out loud and assured him that he wasn't the first prospective father to say that and that he wouldn't be the last. He left them alone again, having promised to let them know when their children arrived.

"What were we thinking?" Charlie asked weakly as she squeezed his hand tightly when a contraction peaked. "We're too old for this."

"We'll only be pushing sixty when she graduates from high school. That's practically nothing," She laughed unsteadily and settled back into the pillows. "Did you think of a name yet?"

He shook his head and groaned. "I wish they came named. Should we name her after someone? Your mother? My mother?"

She scrunched her nose and sighed. "No, I don't want to name her after anyone if that's okay with you."

"It's fine, I only mentioned it because that'd narrow down our options," he pointed out, adding a sheepish grin to make her smile. "We'll know who she is when we see her. We've just got to let it happen, like we did letting getting to this point happen. It'll be fine, Sue."

Charlie calmed down over the next hour. He thought it was very, very strange that he got calmer the closer the contractions came and the harder Sue squeezed his hand. It didn't take him too long to decide that maybe he was just being strong for her. It was good enough for him. He'd fall apart later, when she didn't need him.

Leah and Seth arrived just as the contractions started to leave their mother a little breathless. Seth squirmed uncomfortably for a few minutes and then disappeared in the blink of an eye when Carlisle came back to check on his mother.

"Such a wimp," Leah muttered after the exam.

"He's alright," Carlisle said as he pulled his latex gloves off. "After all, hospital policy is that no more than two people can be in the room. Which leads me to the news that you've only got about three centimeters to go, Sue, so it won't be long now and the window is quickly closing on pain medication options. Have you decided?"

"I don't want any," she said without any hesitation. "As long as you think everything will go okay, I don't want any."

"Everything looks perfect, Sue," he said. "Labor is progressing as it should, the baby's heart rate is fine, and all your vitals look good. If you're still feeling like you can do this, you should."

Charlie had been looking back and forth between them but his eyes settled on Sue when she reaffirmed her decision. He wasn't surprised. He didn't think she was hiding anything, and he hoped she wasn't, but he knew that she was strong. It was good enough for him. "I'll let you have a few minutes with Leah and go check on Seth," he told Sue, impulsively kissing her cheek before he left the room.

He found his would-be stepson in the waiting room with his son-in-law. "I don't gotta be in there, do I?" Seth whined, a look of fear in his eyes.

"No, of course not," Charlie assured him. "I don't think Leah's leaving anyway."

"She will if Mom tells her too. You know, if you want to be the only one in there when… it happens." Seth shivered violently. "Course I don't know why you would."

Under normal circumstances, Charlie knew he would've felt relief that the teenage boy was so against babies being born and probably wouldn't end up as a teen dad but that didn't really make a difference when the kid was just waiting to imprint. That still weirded Charlie out, so he shrugged and wondered what to say.

Edward's creepy mind-reading came in handy when he spoke up. "Bella's waiting in the car," he told Charlie quietly. "She decided not to risk it until it was absolutely necessary but she asked me to come in and tell you that she is here."

Charlie rather liked the idea of an excuse to go outside and get some fresh air for even five minutes. "Go see your Mom once more," he told Seth. "And tell her I'll be right back."

Edward's silver car was at the extreme far end of the hospital parking lot, as far from the building as it could be while still being parked in the hospital parking lot. Charlie wasn't surprised to see Rosalie standing with Bella. He wished it was Alice, but he wasn't surprised.

"Is it over?" Bella asked, as she stepped forward to meet him.

"No, she's seven centimeters, though," he said. He hugged her, still a little unnerved by the temperature of her body. "Leah and Seth are inside. You didn't have to come, Bells. You know, if it's making you uncomfortable or anything."

"I'm okay, Dad," she assured him. "Nessie wanted to come but we told her to wait. Emmett will bring her later if it's okay."

Charlie nodded, sighing as he felt the nerves creep back up on him.

"It will be okay," Rosalie told him as she shot Bella a loaded glance. "You better get back inside."

He knew she was right and, in her own way she was being caring. He was glad Bella had her, even if he liked Alice better. "See you soon, Bells," he said, hugging her again.

"I can't wait to meet my sister," she told him.

Back in the hospital, Seth fled to the waiting room the moment he saw Charlie.

"I thought he was going to faint," Sue said when he took his place beside her again.

"Or puke," Leah added.

"Edward's in the waiting room, he'll take care of him." He brushed Sue's shiny black hair behind her ear. "You need anything?"

She leaned into to his touch and closed her eyes. "No, I'm okay."

He didn't like the way her skin felt clammy and he didn't like the tiredness in her voice. He wanted to fix things for her, but he couldn't. He really hated that.

"She really is okay," Leah mouthed to him. "She'd tell you if she wasn't."

He couldn't hold back his impatient huff. He knew that. He just didn't know if he liked Sue's definition of 'okay.' "You sure you're okay with this?" he mouthed back. "With me and your mom?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's kind of late now but yes, Charlie, I am. She loves you, you love her. I don't want anything else."

Charlie had come to the conclusion that Leah really was her father's daughter. She tried to be tough and act like she always wore a shield, but when she loved and cared, she did it passionately. That's how Harry had been, about his friends and his children and his wife.

Over the next forty-five minutes, things moved quickly. Sue turned onto her side and Charlie sat on a chair, keeping his face close to hers as he rubbed his thumb on her temple, held her hand with his free hand, and tried his best to be calm and strong for her. Leah stayed on the other side, rubbing her back and shoulders and dabbing a cloth on her forehead.

The next time Carlisle returned, he said it would be time to have the baby as soon as he had the nurse get the final things set up in the room.

Leah helped Sue move back onto her back and then kissed her forehead. "I'm not staying," she said with a soft sort of firmness. "You do this with Charlie and I'll see you soon, okay?"

Charlie panicked when Leah left, but hid it well. At least he hoped he hid it well.

He turned down Carlisle's invitation to move to the foot of the bed and watch his daughter enter the world, opting instead to hold Sue's hand and do what he could for her.

Twenty minutes later, he looked in unchecked awe at the tiny, pink, squalling baby girl swaddled in a white blanket and tucked securely in Sue's arms.

"She's okay?" He meant to reassure Sue but it came out more like a question.

"She's more than okay," Carlisle assured him. "Seven pounds, eight ounces. And she's got an excellent set of lungs."

"That's not from my side," Charlie said. "That's all Sue. But I like it."

Sue laughed and stroked her daughter's cheek. "Yes, Charlie, we know you're the quiet one."

"Does she have a name?" Carlisle asked as he threw his gloves into the trashcan.

"Not yet," Charlie said. "We need to look at her some more."

Carlisle nodded and wrote something on the chart. "Fair enough. I'll leave you to it then. Would you like me to send your children in?"

Sue nodded and he left, leaving them alone.

Charlie cleared his throat and Sue looked at him expectantly. "You decided what you want to name her?"

He shook his head. "No. I decided what maybe we could name her." He brushed his finger over his baby daughter's brow. "Molly."

"Oh, Charlie," Sue gasped. "It's perfect. She's Molly. Molly Elizabeth Swan?"

"Mm-hmm." He carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders without bouncing her or the baby too much. "Thank you, Sue. For everything. For her, for loving me so much."

She leaned into him and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

Charlie wiped them away for her, though, when Leah and Seth slipped into the room.

Still creeped out by hospital rooms, Seth escaped again shortly after meeting his new sister but Leah seemed more than willing to stay as long as she was allowed. When the nurse came to take the baby to the nursery, Charlie left Sue in her oldest daughter's capable hands and took the time to collect himself.

He wasn't surprised when Bella found him in the cafeteria.

"My sister's okay?" she asked, sitting down across from him. "I can't believe I have a sister after all this time."

"You and me both, kid," he sighed. "But yeah, she's okay. We named her Molly. But Bells? Will you be able to see her? Will she know you?"

Bella nodded and leaned forward. "Yeah, Dad. As long as you and Sue want her to know me, I want to know my sister. But I'll understand whatever you decide."

"We already decided, Bells," he reminded her. "We decided that she'll know her whole family story one day. I was asking if you wanted to be around her. You never said for sure before."

She smiled brightly. "Yes, Dad. I want to be around her."

Charlie pushed back his chair as that weight lifted off his shoulders. "Good. Want to come see her? She should be settled in the nursery."

He couldn't help but smile when she took his hand.

They were met outside the nursery but Edward and Nessie, the smaller of whom promptly scrambled up into her grandfather's arms.

"What do think of your aunt?" Charlie asked, pointing when she kissed his cheek and asked where the baby was. "I'm doing this backwards, but it's alright, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," she assured him solemnly. "I like her a lot. She'll be a good aunt and I'll take care of her."

Charlie kissed her cheek that time. He was pretty sure his life had never been as perfect as it was just then. As scared as he was of the future, he felt like he could take on anything and come out better for it.

**The End**


End file.
